If you are planning to visit this hotel in the near future, I urge you to check with your tour company and find out if the stomach bug outbreak is ongoing. My husband and I both contracted this and, having read previous reviews, it seems that it has been ongoing for some time. We knew of several others who contracted this while we were there. On our departure, I asked one of our holiday reps (at the airport) if there was a known problem at the Mitsis and I was told that there was and that it had been known about for 'several days'. If I were a cynical person I would have to conclude that the tour company allowed us to stay there while knowing that the problem exists - I don't know what our legal/consumer rights are but I find this morally unforgiveable. It affected 4-5 days of the 6 full days we were there.

Good Points:
Location (10-15 min walk to old town), Generally clean, Pool areas pleasant

Bad Points:
Buffet Restaurant :By far the worst aspect of this hotel. Strange seating system, demeaning rugby scrum at every meal, usually a queue to get in, crowded tables, frayed tempers, luke warm food, not particularly appetising although there was quite a lot of choice. Breakfast was better. We would mentally tick off each time we ate there, rejoicing in the fact that it was one less time we would need to be there.
Rooms: Dated,a little shabby, fridge door initailly faulty, leaking toilet cistern for 2 days, no reading lights, no tea/coffee making facilities, two very basic, VERY hard, uncomfortable, single beds pushed together, each covered in a sheet and a sad looking blue fluffy blanket
In-room safe: 25 Euros to use the safe for the week

If the hotel had been up to scratch and there had been no stomach bugs, this could have been a very enjoyable holiday. The old town is good to see, the walk along the front is pleasant with views across the Aegean sea to Turkey. There are many boat trips, the weather was fantastic, there are loads of restaurants and shops near the hotel. It would probably be best to hire a care for a few days so that you can explore.

One last warning - beware of bars that have no prices on display and no menus on the table. We were caught by such a place in the old town. We ordered a fresh orange juice (which consisted of a huge amount of ice with a small amount of orange juice) and an iced coffee - the bill came to 11.90 Euros. Much better value can be found off the main streets.

This was most likely a very grand hotel in the days when Mrs Thatcher visited and still has touches of grandeur which must be why it clings to a 5 star rating. The public areas are all clean and fresh, free wifi conection made up for the other slightly more outdated details. As stated by the other reviews we did not pay a 5 star price so what else could we expect.

We were lucky with our room and if I am honest that is the main interest we had in the hotel as we spent most of our days sightseeing but it was a silly small thing that annoyed us on the last day when my husband returned the safe key together with the 25 Euro deposit receipt. The receptionist took it from him and threw away the receipt. When he asked for the refund of 25 Euros he was told it was not a deposit it was a payment for the use of the safe! It was a small safe in the wardrobe with an old fashioned key - can they really warrant a charge of what to us with todays currency conversion is nearly £25 every week to each visitor? We do not consider that is a sum to be considered a "small local charge" if that is in fact written anywhere in the small print.

Maybe we should have taken a friends advice and kept the key as a momento of what was otherwise a very enjoyable holiday.

n ice hotel,staff friendly and the food excellent,but during our stay we both had a sickness bug as did all the other brits we spoke to,and that was quite a lot! This hotel is rated 5star but its certainly not,3+ is more like it.As for Rhodes town nice but very pricey,8euro`s for two half litres of lager in old town....

Initial impression quite good (if a little souless) with marble floor entrance area and polished wood reception. Check in efficient if not over friendly.
After other reviews a bit apprehensive about room but ours (282 and a good size) overlooking rear pool and gardens, appeared recently painted and re-carpeted with a more than acceptable bathroom (plenty of hot water). Room furniture and fridge fit the term 'tired' but storage space was very good and the fridge worked as did the excellent air conditioning so on the whole we were satisfied.
Location is fine for both the New Town (on the doorstep) and the Old Town (an easy 10 - 15 minute stroll). Beach opposite very stony but water looked clean, would suggest bying the rubber soled plimsole type shoes freely available from all local shops to enable you to walk into the sea whilst protecting your feet.
Sea not really suitable for children or non swimmers as it dropped away sharply to quite deep water.
Hotel has 3 pools, two outddoor with sunbeds seemingly adequate in number even allowing for 'towel baggers' however should point out this was October not sure how you would fare in high season.
Dining arrangements (we were half board) leave a lot to be desired mainly due to the insistence of the Head Waiter in allocating and then showing you personally to your table thereby causing a queue to build up at the dining room entrance. You do not keep the same table all week and this performance is repeated daily as the Head Waiter struts around full of self importance looking like an extra from a Mel Brooks film.
Whilst there is a wide choice of food at both breakfast and dinner and some of it is 'OK' on the whole it is bland so whilst you will not go hungry it is not of the quality you would expect from a supposed 5* establishment.
The exception are the Italian and Chinese restaurants which are available if you book in advance and at no extra cost if you are on half board. The food in both is pretty good and well worth a try.
Rhodes Town (both old and new) are a shopaholics dream. I don't think I have seen so many fashion outlets in such a small place. Aimed at primarliy the under 30 age group some of the quality looks very high but so are the prices.
Prices on most things are high so don't be surprised at being charge 4 Euros for a small beer. Try the Greek beer at Kojack's Bar (left out of the hotel about 200 metres down the sea front) for 2 Euros and his other drinks are reasonable too.
For a nice coffee and great cakes and desserts try the Kringlan bakery and cafe (left out the hotel, first left and then 2nd left). Without doubt the days of the cheap foreign holidays are gone and it's not the fault of the bar and restaurant owners that the pound is so weak against the Euro.
The old town has bags of history with some old architecture but it is also very commercialised with gift shops and jewellers everywhere. Also some of the restaurant and bar owners can be a bit in your face which some people may not like.
Based on my experience I would not recommend the Grand Hotel Mitsis for families particularly those with young children. Firstly there seems to be no facilities for young children and even the shallow pool (part of the pool complex at the rear) was surrounded by sun beds with no space for kids to move around in. Given that by my reckoning about 95% of the guests were all elligible for SAGA membership I'm pretty certain that kids running around enjoying themselves would almost certainly not have been welcome.
The Mitsis may have aspirations to be a 5* hotel but in reality it falls short in all departments. Is it a bad hotel? No not really but neither is it a good one. If you want a reasonably comfortable, clean room (which ours was) in a reasonable location with somewhere to lie in the sun and where good food is not your priority and you are over 50 this place is OK (ish).